Wio vs ila Bank.
Wio (W77/100) and ila Bank (i50/100), scored on the same six pillars and compared row-by-row. Every cell is sourced from licence registers and live pricing pages, not opinion. Wio leads ila Bank 6-0.
| i ila Bank №59 · ila Bank is the digital retail brand of Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait 50 /100 | W Wio №13 · CBUAE 77 /100 | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | ||
| Composite score Out of 100 | 51 /100 | 77 /100 |
| Fees | ||
| Monthly fee Cheapest paid tier (€0 if free) | €0 Free tier | €0 Free tier |
| FX markup Debit card abroad | 1.50% | Interbank |
| Free FX / month EUR equivalent | €0 | €0 |
| Free ATM Before fee kicks in | — | — |
| Protection | ||
| Banking licence Tier | Payment inst. | Full bank CBUAE |
| Deposit guarantee Per depositor | Safeguarded BH.DCS | €250,000 AE.DPS |
| Reach | ||
| Markets served Licensed jurisdictions | 1 country | 1 country |
| Crypto Coins available | No | No |
| Stocks & ETFs Self-directed | No | Yes |
| UX | ||
| Trustpilot Customer score | — | — |
| App store iOS + Android avg | 4.2 ★ iOS 4.3 · And 4.1 | 4.2 ★ iOS 4.4 · And 4.0 |
| Read review → | Read review → | |
Pick ila Bank if…
Digital retail brand of Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait (BBK B.S.C., Bahrain Bourse: BBK) — one of the GCC's oldest commercial banks (founded 1971). Launched November 2019 as Bahrain's first fully-digital retail bank. CBB Conventional Retail Bank licence sits at the BBK parent; ila is a brand inside that charter, not a separately licensed entity. Bahrain DPS cover BHD 20,000 per depositor flows via the parent licence under CBB Rulebook Volume 6. Conventional banking; for Sharia products from the same group, see KFH Bahrain (separately licensed Islamic bank).
Pick Wio if…
UAE-native digital full-bank, CBUAE-licensed since 2022. Backed by ADQ + Alpha Dhabi + Mubadala + e&. Instant onboarding via Emirates ID and a multi-currency core (AED + USD + EUR + GBP) make it the strongest local-licensed competitor to Liv. and Mashreq Neo. AE DPS cover under the new UAE Deposit Protection Scheme.
- Best for fees Wio won 1 of 4
- Best for protection Wio won 2 of 2
- Best for reach Wio won 1 of 3
- Best for ux Wio won 1 of 2
Wio vs ila Bank — FAQ
Quick answers to the four questions the search-bar asks most about a head-to-head.
Is ila Bank better than Wio?
Under our v3 methodology, Wio leads ila Bank 6–0 across 12 dimensions. Composite scores: ila Bank 50/100 vs Wio 77/100. Wio is stronger overall, but the right pick depends on which row matters most to you — fees, protection, reach, or app quality.
Is ila Bank or Wio cheaper?
Monthly fee — ila Bank: €0; Wio: €0. Card FX markup — ila Bank: 1.50%; Wio: Interbank. Wio wins more fee rows (1 of 4). See the Fees section of the matrix above for ATM caps and the rest.
Which is safer for deposits, ila Bank or Wio?
ila Bank holds a Payment inst. licence under ila Bank is the digital retail brand of Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait (BBK B.S.C.) — CBB Conventional Retail Bank licence held at the BBK parent. CBB Rulebook Volume 6 Deposit Protection Scheme cover up to BHD 20,000 per depositor per institution; ila and BBK aggregate against one ceiling because they are the same legal entity. Verify the current DPS ceiling on cbb.gov.bh.; deposit guarantee per depositor: Safeguarded. Wio holds a Full bank licence under CBUAE; deposit guarantee per depositor: €250,000. Wio is the stronger pick on regulatory protection.
Where can I use ila Bank and Wio?
ila Bank operates in 1 country; Wio operates in 1 country. Check each provider's signup page for the live country list — eligibility depends on residency, not just the licence footprint.
Want a 3- or 4-way comparison?
The dynamic compare picker handles up to four banks. Add this pair plus one or two more and we'll resolve every row.